rapport
Has anyone had any experience with and if you have what is some advice you could give from your experience ?
Sharda,
Rapport is a connection between an instructor and the students. The students respect the instructor for what he/she is doing in sharing knowledge with them and the instructor respects for the effort they put forth. This mutual respect enables the development of rapport.
Gary
Talk to your students one on one as they come in. Ask them how their weekend went, how their jobs are going, etc. Just get to know them.
Invest a bit of time at the beginning of a class session discussing a topic of current events. I usually bring in an article or website that showcases something controversial and we discuss it for 5 minutes. It is a great way for the students to voice their opinions and have some ownership in the classroom.
Rapport is the cornerstone to teaching.
It's like treating the classroom as a macro for life. Interaction and friendliness are all part of it.
There are definitely going to be level differences in the classroom. Being talkative and friendly will reduce the stress and maybe even will cause struggling students to seek help or work harder.
I use this method as well, asking about their weekend and sharing mine reminds them I'm human too with a life outside of school. I feel it gives the feeling of open communication.
Joan,
Conversations like this are so valuable. They really help to build a connection between them and the instructor. This is the human factor that helps keep students engaged in the learning process.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Having rapport with your students is so important. Just taking the time in getting to know them and vice-versa and spending the first few minutes just chit-chatting will help the flow of your class for the rest of the time you are together.
